Dark Future
by Doc4
Summary: Belasco tries to get rid of Buffy. But something happens and she gets sent to a twisted future. Will she get back? Chapter 8 up!
1. Default Chapter

Greetings and Salutations. Sorry this took so long, I haven't been able to use the net. This is another part for my Phoenix Rising series. This one takes place at about the same time as Immortal Beginnings, the other story I just put up. I'm putting them both up at the same time because they both explain things you need to know to understand the story. You'll notice this ones chapterised, while the other isn't. That's because the other is finished. Sorry, you'll just have to wait for more.

As usual, I don't own this. X-Men, Blade, and other Marvel characters belong to Marvel. Witchblade belong to Top Cow. Buffy and related characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Dark Angel belongs to whoever created it. Not me. Not now, nor ever will I own any of these characters. Joyce is mine (kinda. You'll see.). 

_In every generation, there is One Girl._

_Only she can fight the vampires, demons and other forces of darkness._

_She is the Slayer._

_She is a test tube soldier, the peak of genetic perfection._

_She was trained to perfection, faster, stronger, more agile than anyone else._

_Then she escaped._

_Now, she fights in a post Apocalyptic world, aided by a cyber rebel, evading the people who seek her._

_She is the Dark Angel._

As Buffy walked through the cemetery, her mind wandered. She thought about her beautiful baby girl asleep back home, she thought of her upcoming marriage to Logan.

She thought of how quiet it had been lately.

Quiet was a good thing. Unless you were the Vampire Slayer, charged with guarding a Hellmouth. Then it was bad. Bad because it usually meant someone was planning something. Ever since Faith had beaten Belasco, it had been far to quiet. Even the vamps were keeping the blood drinking to a minimum. Buffy frowned. Admit it girl, she thought to herself. You're bored.

She was about to head home when something caught her eye. She walked past some tombstones to a rather large stone. It was strange looking with carvings right the way down it. She didn't even try to read it; she knew that would be impossible. Faith had described it to her. It was a cairn stone, used by Belasco and his N'Garai demons to travel to earth. She drew her sword; summoning the portion of power the Phoenix had left her before it left. A final reward. She brought the sword up above her head, ready to destroy the stone, when a presence behind her caused her to turn. She spun quickly, sword before her. She saw a demon, almost human except for the horns, red skin and almost scaly black arm.

"You are every bit as ugly as Faith described you." She said. Belasco grinned.

"And you, my dear, are every bit as striking as Angelus saw you." He said. Buffy glared at him. "Yes, when you sent him to Hell, I was lucky enough to be the one to pay host to him. You seemed to be the one that was foremost in his mind. A pity such a striking couple has been broke up."

"No regrets, red." Buffy said with a grin. "Though I'm still going to have to hurt you. I'd say I was sorry, but I'd be lying."

"I'm afraid that isn't quite going to happen. At least not the way you think." He held his hand out. "Goodbye Ms Summers." A beam of light shot from his hand, engulfing the Slayer. She faded away, until nothing was left but her sword.

Dawns head shot up. "No. Oh please no." She summoned her power, disappearing form the Magic Box. The others looked at each other.

"What was that about?" Xander asked.

"I can't feel her." Logan muttered. Everyone turned to him. "She's not there anymore. Where is she?" He clenched his fist, focusing on the feeling that had become the single anchor in his life. "Buffy."

Belasco stood there, rather proud of himself. This time the spell had worked. Buffy Summers was gone, her body had disintegrated. There was nothing left of her, and no one to stop him.

"Belasco!" He turned to see the newly named Guardian of the Earth behind him. "Where is she? Where is my sister?"

"Gone, as you can see." He said. "And this time, there is no return for her." He laughed. "And no one to stop me." Dawn clenched her fists.

"There will always be someone to stop you." She said. "Be it the X-Men, Faith, someone will always be there."

"Wrong." He said. "From the beginning there was only ever one person that could stop me, and soon she will be mine." He faded from sight. Dawn stood there. She couldn't believe it. But there was Buffy's sword, lying there discarded. Nothing could ever make her drop that, not unless…

Dawn walked over to pick it up. Buffy would want Joyce to have this. She bent over to pick it up…

And was forced back with shock. The feeling that came from the sword, it was Buffy, a last trace, but it wasn't fear. It was denial. Not something that one feels in death. Dawn felt into the earth, calling the images of Buffy's final moments. She watched on, and then found her answer.

_"Goodbye Ms Summers."_

Dawn couldn't help it. She leapt into the air, fists held high. "Up yours, Belasco." She said happily. "You screwed up." She smiled, calling Thor from Asgard. She had plans to make. "It's not over yet, red. Not by a long shot."

_Seventeen years later, Asgard._

Thor looked at the sword, hanging in the same place it had for seventeen years. The Lord of Asgard shook his head. Seventeen years and not a trace of her. He was beginning to doubt that she had survived. He sighed. "Come back soon, Buffy. Thou art needed. Now more than ever."

"Lord Thor?" Thor turned.

"Yes Baldur?"

"I have grave news." Baldur said. "The mortals are getting closer to the girl." Thor sighed.

"What can be done?" Thor asked.

"Not a lot, my Lord." He said. "In fact, short of warning them in person, I…" He stopped, looking past the Lord of Asgard. Thor's eyes widened as he noticed the warmth at his back. He spun to see Buffy's sword had burst into flames.

"By my Eyes, it can't be…" He watched as a fiery Pheonix engulfed the sword, then disappeared. Thor smiled, wide. "She is back." He said. He sun back to Baldur. "She has returned. Alert the Guardian, quickly. Go." Baldur ran out the door, unable to hide the grin quickly spreading across his own face. He had never met the Slayer, but he knew she was a great warrior. And now more than ever, a great warrior was needed.

Thor himself remained where he was, his smile wider than he thought possible. "Welcome home, my friend."

_High above Sunnydale._

Dawn looked over the edge of her Lookout, a gift form the Kais. "After all, where else can a Guardian hang her hat?" The North Kai said. Where indeed?

A burst of energy broke her from her reverie, followed by another, more heat than energy. Then Baldur appeared behind her.

"Lady Dawn!" He said excitedly. "Lady Dawn!"

"Baldur, take it easy." She said. She had never known the Asgardian to be so excited.

"It's her, my Lady!" He said. "She's back! I saw the sword go myself." Dawn froze.

"She's…" She leapt in the air. "YES! I knew it!" She laughed. "Finally, it's time. Thankyou for bringing the news Baldur." She said, finally able to regain control. "You'll have to excuse me, I have some preparations to make." The Asgardian bowed, and then left to spread the news. She was back. Buffy was back.

Let evil shudder, the Dragon Slayer had returned.

_Canada._

She moved quietly and effortlessly through the woods. "She's over here." She heard. The girl grinned. Wrong way, asswipe, she thought. She watched as he moved in front of her. She snuck up behind him, weapon ready.

"If your the best Weapon X has to send after me, they're never gonna catch me." She said, pressing the blade against his throat. "Walk away, and don't come after me again, or you're gonna spend the rest of yer life trying to put yer guts back in, understand?" The soldier nodded. "Good. Leave." She released the soldier and watched him run. She chuckled. These creeps never learn.

_"Joyce, head for the border." _Joyce Summers, mutant, Vampire Slayer and bearer of the Witchblade looked up.

"What is it, Aunty Dawn?" She asked. "I'm having trouble with…"

_"She's back! Buffy's back!"_ Joyce stopped dead in her tricks.

"My…mom…" She turned, heading for her dad's Harley. "I'm on my way."

_Westchester._

Jubilee sighed as she walked into the hanger. The old school had certainly seen better days. But then, so had the world.

She drew a hand along the Blackbird. "You and me go a ways back, don't we?" She said. "Still can't believe Charlie retired you for those new fangled X-Jets. Well, at least we know which one would work now, hey?" She liked coming here to think. It held good memories of friends lost.

Like Logan and Buffy.

_"No time for reminiscing, Jubes. You owe me a fifty."_ Dawn's voice echoed through her mind.

"Yeah, like that'd…" She stopped. The only time she had ever had a bet with Dawn was about Buffy. If Dawn's asking for the fifty, then… "Are you telling me…?"__

_"She's back. Seattle, as close as I can gather. You'll need to swing by Canada to pick Joyce up."_ Jubes grinned.

"I'm on it." She said, making pre flight preparations on the Blackbird.

_Los Angeles._

Kitty ducked under the stroke as the Immortal came after her again. She brought her sword up, its ebon blade humming with mystic energy. She spun, her foot catching her opponent in the gut. He doubled over, giving her time to take his head.

Angel ran over to her as the last of the other Immortals Quickening went into his beloved. "I hate when you do that." He said.

"You and me both." Kitty said. Angel helped her to her feet. The Shadowsword had, once again, disappeared.

_"Kitty, Angel, good news."_ Dawn sent suddenly. _"She's back."_

"Who is?" Angel asked.

_"Buffy. She's in Seattle."_ Angel looked at Kitty.

"Finally." The Immortal said. "Connors already in Seattle." Angel nodded.

"I'll let him know." Angel said.__

_"Joyce and Jubes are already on the way."_ Dawn said. Angel looked at Kitty again. As much as he loved her, with all his soul, there would always be a part of him that wondered what might have happened.

"We'll be there as soon as possible." He said.

_"Right."_ Kitty walked up to him.

"You alright?" She asked. Angel shook his head.

"We need to get to Seattle." He said. "She's going to need us when she finds out about Logan."

_Seattle._

Buffy stirred and opened her eyes. She was no longer in Sunnydale, but that wasn't the first thing she noticed. Neither was the fact that she was in a wharehouse. The first thing she noticed was that she couldn't feel Logan anymore.

She sat there for what seemed like hours, trying to find him. Since the Phoenix had used her to defeat the Dragon, she had always been able to sense Logan, a little something in the back of her brain. Now, there was nothing.

"Where is he?" She whispered. "Why can't I feel him? Logan, where are you?" She curled up into a ball. "Logan…"

_"Buffy!"_ Dawn's voice broke through her sadness. _"Buffy, can you hear me?"_ Buffy raised her head.

"Dawn?" She couldn't believe it was her little sister. She sounded…older. "Dawn, is that you?"__

_"Buffy, it is you."_ Dawn said excitedly. _"Thank God, I have been so worried. It's been seventeen years…"_

"What?" Buffy stood. "Seventeen…Dawn, where's Logan? Why can't I feel him? What do you mean 'seventeen years'?"

"Buffy, you disappeared seventeen years ago. Belasco thought he killed you, and so'd everyone else. Except me."

"What about Logan?" Buffy demanded. "Dawn I can't feel him."

_"Logan's dead. He died a while back. Buffy, I'm sorry."_ Buffy fell back to the ground, shaking her head in disbelief.

"No, it can't be." She whispered. "We were supposed to get married, raise our daughter. We were supposed to get a happily ever after. Why did this happen?"

"I don't know, but we will fix it somehow. I've already got some back up on the way. I'll sort something out, Buffy. I'll get you back somehow, trust me." 

"I do." Buffy said. "It's just…wait a sec, back up? Who?"

"Oh, you know the usual suspects. Jubes, Angel, Kitty. Connor's already in Seattle, he's almost there."

"Whoa, time out. Connor? Angel's kid?" Buffy couldn't believe it. "How's he look?"__

"Buffy, behave. Beside, he's totally taken by Joyce."

"Joyce? My daughter, alive?" Buffy felt hope returning. "How? What's she like?"__

_"Find out yourself. She's coming with Jubilee."_ Buffy felt like doing back flips. Her daughter was alive. And on her way. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car outside. She walked outside and watched as a brown haired teen climbed out of the black car. He went to pull a bag out of the back when he noticed her.

"Please tell me your not Buffy Summers." He said. Buffy grinned.

"Sorry to disappoint you but yeah, I am." She held her hand out as he walked around the car to meet her.

"Damn." He said. "Dad never told me you were this cute. At least now I know where Joyce gets her looks." Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Connor?" The teen nodded. "You have grown up. Last time I saw you, you were still crapping in a nappy." Connor turned red. "At least you've learnt how to blush. Your old man never did get that." Connor laughed.

"Yeah, that's true enough. C'mon, you…" He stopped as something blazed in the sky behind Buffy. "What the hell is that?" Buffy turned and gasped as she recognised the shape of a firebird coming towards them. She held out her hand and the bird wrapped itself around her hand. "Whoa."

"Hello, old friend." Buffy whispered. The bird cried out, then faded, giving way to a sword. "Welcome home."

"Nice trick." Connor said as buffy slipped her sword into the scabbard still at her side. "Kitty and Dad told me about your sword. Said that'd be the sure way of telling you are who you say you are." He opened the car door for her. "C'mon, we'd better get out of here. Before anything else happens."

She watched as the boy showed the young woman into the car. That trick with the sword was pretty cool she had to admit that. She thought a moment. A sword in a bird of fire why did that sound so familiar…

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mobile phone. "Hit me."

"Max, we've got problems." Max grimaced slightly.

"What is it this time, Logan?" She asked. "An orphanage getting sold to project developers?"

"I wish it were that simple." Logan Cale, secretly the pirate broadcaster Eyes Only, said. "Alec just walked in with Joshua."

"Joshua? Is he all right? What happened?" Joshua, the first experiment of Project Manticore, was also one of Max's few friends.

"They almost found him." Logan told her. "If Alec hadn't followed them…" Logan didn't need to finish the sentence.

"I'm on my way." She said.

"Are you all right?" Logan asked. "You sound distracted." Max looked down at where the car had been.

"I'll tell you when I get there." She said. "Definitely something you need to hear face to face."

"All right, just be careful."

"Aren't I always?" She asked before hanging up. She looked down one more time, and then disappeared into the night.

"Well, this is it." Connor said as they walked into his apartment. "Not much, I know, but I've got no complaints." Buffy looked around. It was small, almost cosy. Two bedrooms and lots of photos.

"Its fine, Connor." She said. "Thanks for letting me stay." The teen shrugged.

"Don't sweat it." He said. "Dad always went on about you. Best Slayer ever, he says. It's a pleasure, and besides, Joyce'd kill me if I let her mom wander around Seattle without a guide." Buffy laughed at that, and picked up a photo. It was Connor, cuddled up to a girl about his age.

"Is this…?" Connor looked at the photo.

"Yeah, that's Joyce." He said as Buffy placed back on the shelf. "That's about two months ago. She took off afterwards. Something she had to handle." Buffy nodded and looked through the other photos. Her jaw dropped as her eye's fell on one photo in particular.

"Oh my…" She picked up the photo. It was of her and the old gang, Angel and Oz included. "Where did you get this?"

"Dad had it lying around." Connor said. "He said I could hold onto it. Why?" Buffy grinned, pointing to herself in the photo.

"This is the old gang, when Angel was hanging around us." She said. "Feels like lifetimes since that photo was taken. What happened here anyway? It looks like…the bad guys won."

"Close enough to it." Connor said. "Few years back, some terrorists let off a nuke just outside the earths atmosphere, to far out for the radiation to do any damage. All this was caused by the Pulse."

"Pulse?" Connor nodded.

"When the bomb went off, it released an Electro Magnetic Pulse that wiped out every computer system in America. Bank records, criminal records, everything gone." He explained. "It's taken us this long to get this far. There's no telling how long it will take to fix everything, and even then, nothing will be the same." He shook his head. "Dad, Kitty and some others have been running around trying to keep the demon population down, but something's coming. I'm glad your back. Believe me, we need all the help we can get." Buffy looked out the window. A shattered world, the demons getting ready for something big and she just happens to show up?

"Let's get started, then." She said. Connor turned to her. "This is just a little too neat and tidy for me to count it as a coincidence." She turned back to him. Her eyes were lit up and there was a strange smile on her face. "I've been out of circulation for seventeen years. It's time to remind the bad guys who's in charge." She looked over at the photo again. "But maybe not alone…" Connor grinned, reaching for his mobile.

"They set something up in case you wanted to get the band back together, a message system." He said, handing it to her. Buffy took a breath and punched in a message.

"So, what now?" She asked. Connor took the phone. He read the message before dialling the number. Avengers Assemble, huh? It fit.

"Now we wait." He said. "Unless you want to get started."

"What do you think?" She asked. "Let's move, kid."

That's that. Next the Scooby reunion. But much has changed. Be ready for some of my trade mark weird pairings.

Stay Tuned.

Doc.


	2. Avengers Assemble!

Greetings and Salutations. Sorry this took so long, I haven't been able to use the net. This is another part for my Phoenix Rising series. This one takes place at about the same time as Immortal Beginnings, the other story I just put up. I'm putting them both up at the same time because they both explain things you need to know to understand the story. You'll notice this ones chapterised, while the other isn't. That's because the other is finished. Sorry, you'll just have to wait for more.

As usual, I don't own this. X-Men, Blade, and other Marvel characters belong to Marvel. Witchblade belong to Top Cow. Buffy and related characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Dark Angel belongs to whoever created it. Not me. Not now, nor ever will I own any of these characters. Joyce is mine (kinda. You'll see.). 

Sunnydale.

Xander Harris looked around at the broken remains of Sunnydale High. It had been rebuilt since Graduation Day, and the battle against the Mayor, but it hadn't lasted long, especially after the Pulse. He looked at the young girl beside him. "So, you ready?" She looked up at him.

"I don't know." She said. "I mean, what if I screw up? This is the Hellmouth, you know? I stuff this, it's game over." Xander shook his head.

"Your the Slayer." He said to his young charge. "This is what you do, and you don't have much time to do it in." He looked at his watch. "Two hours, to be exact." She rolled her eyes.

"Great, plenty of time." She said. "So what are you going to do while I'm rising my neck, watch?" Xander chuckled. She had spirit and, he had to admit, she was so much like Buffy it was scary.

"I know a lot of Watchers still send their Slayers in alone." He said. "But not me. Fighting along side Buffy for so long, I realize the Slayers need more than just information. Don't worry kid; I've got your back."

"Thanks." Xander's phone beeped. He pulled it out. "What's that, instructions?" The girl watched as a smile spread across Xander's face. "Hey, Xand, what's the stitch?" Xander read the message over and over.

"Avengers Assemble." He muttered, putting the phone back in his pocket. "Let's finish this quickly. We have to head to Seattle."

"Something big." The Slayer asked. Xander nodded, unable to stop smiling.

"Yeah." He said. "Something big." Brilliant timing Buff, he thought as they moved in.

England.

"Okay, if you follow this tunnel, you should get to the main nest." The voice came over his headset. Blade walked forward, gun ready. Ever since the pulse, the vamps around here had been a little more active. It was his job to convince them to back off.

"So how big are we talking?" He asked.

"Shouldn't be to much more than you can handle." The voice said. Blade moved into the main cavern, guns blazing. He looked around. Looks like he…

"Shit!" He said, diving back around the corner. "I thought you said I could handle it."

"Oops."

"Oops?" Blade said, releasing another spray of silver bullets. "You walk me into a holiday home for suck heads and all you can say is 'oops'?" He put his guns away and pulled out his sword. "Damn your lucky I was bored, Willow." The red headed witch winced as Blade move forward.

"Sorry, Blade." She said. "I was going on the activity around. It suggests a whole lot less then what there is." Blade muttered some choice oaths as he took the heads of several vamps. He threw his boomerang, eliminating several more. "I'll call the cavalry." She said.

"I'd prefer the National Guard, Wills." Blade said.

"Sorry, mate." A cockney voice said over his headset. "I hope we'll do."

"Just do your job, Spike." Willow ordered.

"Yes ma'am, Red Baroness, ma'am." Spike said with his trademark grin, dropping in on the vamps. "Now, which of you boys wants to start?" One vamp smashed him across the face. He doubled over, and then came up almost straight away, game face in place. "That's it? Here, let me show you how it's done." He was so concentrated on the vampire in front of him, that he didn't see the one behind him.

Luckily, Riley did.

He brought the rifle up and sent a bullet smashing through the vamps skull. "Watch your back, seventeen. I can't save your ass all night."

"The names Spike, soldier boy." He said. "Get it right." He shoved a stake into his opponent's heart, and then went looking for another.

"I wish they'd at least try to get along." Willow muttered.

"They are, Willow." Dru said from behind her. In the years since showing up, souled, on Spikes doorstep, she had managed to regain at least a semblance of her sanity. "If they weren't, they'd be fighting each other instead of the vampire."

"I guess." She said. Her mobile phone began beeping. "What the hell could…" Her eyes widened as she read the message. "I…can't believe it. Blade!"

"I'm working." He said.

"Work faster, lover." Willow said. "I just got a message. Buffy's back and she needs our help."

"Bloody hell." Spike said. "Doesn't that chit know how to stay dead?" He smiled to himself. Actually, it was about time she decided to get her ass back here. Life just wasn't the same without The Slayer making his life hell.

Riley kept his cool, externally anyway. Internally, he was a mess. The last time he had seen Buffy it had been after she had freed him from the Dragon. He had never really gotten over her. Now maybe, just maybe, he had a chance to set things straight. He turned around, planting his last explosive. "I'm done." He said, climbing back out the hole he had entered. Spike through his explosive at the designated spot.

"Can I leave now?" He said, heading for the entrance of the cave. Blade grimaced. Sure, one was a vamp, and they were total pains in the ass, but they did good work. He reached for a UV grenade.

"So long suckers." He said, throwing the grenade and pulling back. He heard the grenade go off, reducing the vamps to dust. "I'm clear."

"Got it." Dru said, hitting the detonator. Blade watched as the entire mountainside collapsed.

"All right." Blade said. "Let's go see what her excuse is."

Sydney.

"You heard me, mate. Hand over yer wallet." The mugger said. The man just stood there, unmoving.

"What if I don't want to?" He said. The mugger grinned, pulling out his knife. "Oh. Well, if that's the case…" Suddenly, he began to change. His face began to shift, growing fur and fangs. His eyes took on a yellow tint and his hands began resembling paws. Claws grew from his fingers, and fur sprouted up his arms. He bent over slightly, his eyes still on the mugger. "You still want my wallet?" He growled. The mugger dropped his knife and ran. The werewolf reverted back to his human form, looking up at the sun above him. It was still hard, but his control was a lot better than it was.

"Are ye done scaring th' locals, Oz?" A read headed Irish woman said, rounding the corner.

"Ah, come on, Rahne." Oz said. "He asked for it."

"Be that as it may, I dinnae teach ye how tae control the Beast so ye could scare muggers." The mutant lycanthrope said. Oz sidled up to her.

"I'm sorry." He said, nuzzling up to her neck. "I was just…" He growled as his mobile went off. "This had better be bloody well…" He stopped as he saw the message. Avengers Assemble. "Buffy." He muttered. Rahne looked at the message.

"It'll take us a while tae make our way tae Seattle." She said.

"Doesn't matter how long it takes." Oz said. "I'm not letting them down again." Wolfsbane smiled up at her mate.

"Aright, luv." She whispered. "If it's important tae ye, we'll go." Oz bent down, kissing her on the lips.

"Have I told you how much I love you lately?" He asked.

"Aye, but that dinnae mean ye should stop."

So there you go. My trade mark weird pairings. I'm sure there'll be plenty of questions. All I can say is hang on. You'll get your answers eventually. Next up, Buffy meets her daughter.

Stay Tuned.

Doc.


	3. Life in Seatle

Greetings and Salutations.  Okay, guys, this ones a bit longer than I'd meant it to be, but there's a lot in it. Enjoy.

Seattle.

"And that's it." Max said, finishing her story.

"A sword?" Alec said sceptically. "Out of a firebird? You sure you haven't had too much to drink?" Max gave him a dirty look.

"No, Alec, I'm not you." She said. Logan winced slightly before cutting in.

"Well, I'll use those descriptions you gave me, and see what I can find." He said. "Meanwhile, we have a bigger problem to tackle." Max nodded, looking over at Joshua. The dog man looked back.

"Joshua can go home." He said.

"No way, big fella." Max said. "They'll be watching out for you. We'll have to find somewhere else to stash you for a while." Max looked out the window.

"Max?" Logan walked over to her. "You alright?"

"Yeah." She said, careful not to get too close. They still had that virus to think off. "This thing with that girl, it seems…familiar. Like I know it somehow." She shook her head. "Maybe its nothing." She headed for the door. "I'll see if I can find somewhere for Joshua to stay."

"Take care." Logan said.

"Always." She said with smile, then walked out. Logan looked over at Alec. The transgenic sat for a moment.

"Alright, alright." He said, getting to his feet. "I hope I can at least make a buck out of this." He grumbled as he left.

Buffy moved down the street carefully, Connor not far away. So far, they had run in to twenty vampires, and they had only been at it for an hour. "And I thought the Hellmouth was supposed to be busy." Buffy muttered. "This is more activity than I got in a week barring an Apocalypse, but even then, twenty in an hour? Is there some meeting we don't know about?" Connor chuckled.

"Do you always talk this much?" He said. Buffy shrugged.

"Only when I'm nervous." She said. "What's wrong not living up to your expectations?" Connor thought for a moment. He hadn't even seen that last vamp, but Buffy had. She had sent her sword flying over his shoulder; spearing the vamp before it knew what was going on.

"Not that." He said. "I'm used to hunting in silence."

"I take it you never went patrolling with Xander then." Buffy said.

"Thankfully, no." Connor chuckled. "He was bad enough as friend. I don't want to know what he was like patrolling. I'll leave that experience to his unfortunate Slayer."

"His Slayer?" Buffy asked, a look of disbelief on her face. "Don't tell me…"

"'Fraid so." Connor said. "They've made him a Watcher." Buffy shook her head.

"At least the poor girl's getting treated better." She said. "Though she may be suicidal, dealing with his sense of humour." She spun suddenly as Connor's phone beeped. He fished it out.

"Message from Willow." He said. Buffy's face brightened instantly. "She's in England, but she'll be here as soon as possible." He made a face. "She's bringing her team."

"Team? Willow has a team?" Buffy said.

"Yeah." He nodded. "If you can call them that. Spike, Dru, that Riley guy and her lover, Blade."

"Riley's…wait a sec." Buffy looked at him, confused. "Blade and Willow? What happened to Tara?" Connor shrugged.

"I'm not really sure." He said. "All I know is that not long after the Pulse, there was this accident, and she died." Buffy covered her mouth.

"Oh, God. Poor Willow." She whispered. "How'd she take it?"

"Not well." Connor said. "Truth to tell, we almost lost her. If Xander hadn't snapped her out of it, there's no telling what might have happened. Even after that, she was withdrawn, distant. Blade arrived not long after that, and took her under his wing. A year later…well, I don't think I need to explain the rest. I'm sure you get it."

"Willow and Blade." Buffy said sceptically. "Gotta admit, I never saw that one coming. When I met Blade, he seemed…not Willow's type. All quiet and, well, kind of like Angel."

"Which I'm sure you enjoyed." Connor said playfully.

"Actually, I was quite happy with Logan by that time." She winced slightly at the thought of her lost love. "Why couldn't he wait just a few years? We could've gotten our happily ever after. Sure, a bit late, but still…." She clenched her fists at her side. "When I get my hands on that smug son of a bitch, I'm gonna pummel him into the ground." Connor grinned as the phone beeped again. He checked it.

"Hmm?" He cocked his head side ways. "I don't know this one. Who's Oz?" Buffy stared up at him.

"Oz too?" She said. "You kidding? Oz is coming?" Connor nodded.

"Yeah. He says he's bringing his... mate." Connor kept reading. "Too long in Australia, I guess. Hang on. 'Everything under control.' What's that mean?" Buffy grabbed the phone.

"'Everything under control.' Could that mean he's finally found a cure or something?" She muttered.

"Okay two things." Connor said. "One; let's get moving and two; cure for what?"

"Oz's a werewolf." Buffy explained as they headed back to Connors flat. "Or at least, he was when he left Sunnydale looking for a cure. When he says mate, he could be talking about a girlfriend. You know, like a wolf mates?" She handed the phone back to Connor. "Sounds like he has some control of the wolf. I just hope it's better than last time."

"Last time?" Connor said cautiously.

"Think the Hulk." Buffy said. "He lost his temper and went wolfy during the day."

"Oh." Connor said. "Do you have any normal friends?"

"Well there's…no wait, he's a Watcher now. Um…" She smiled sheepishly. "Not that I can think of." Connor laughed as the phone beeped once more.

"Speaking of whom." He said, checking the message. "Xander's on his way, with his Slayer. He asked what took you so long." Buffy laughed.

"He hasn't changed, for which I'm glad. I could use some laughs." Buffy looked around. "This place is so depressing. I wish Giles were here. I could use some fatherly guidance."

"Yeah, I understand that." Connor said. "I met him once, before he died of a heart attack."

"A heart attack?" Buffy stared skyward. "Everything he went through and he dies of something like that." A tear fell from her eyes. "Why do I feel so alone?"

"Hey." Connor said. "Don't be like that. Xander and the others are on there way here and so's Joyce. We'll all stand by you and get you home. Trust me." Buffy looked over at him.

"Your a lot like your father, you know that?" Connor grinned.

"What, good looking?" Buffy grinned wickedly.

"Well, I was thinking broody, but that'll do." She ran of, Connor close behind her.

"Hey!"

Logan looked at the computer screen. One of the descriptions Max had given him weren't so hard to figure out, he was one of Logan's contacts. The other wasn't so easy. It had taken him a while, but he had finally found something. A picture of a girl who had gone missing seventeen years ago. He reached for his phone. He needed to make a phone call.

Connor and Buffy made it inside just as the phone rang. Connor picked it up. "Yeah?" There was a moment of silence. "Hey Logan. What's the boss want this time?" Connor watched as Buffy stiffened slightly. He shook his head, and she slumped into a chair. "Yeah, I'm lis…" He stopped, his eyes still on Buffy. "A firebird? I don't… Yeah, okay…all right, I'll explain later, but only to Eyes Only, no one else, not even you. It's personal. All right, thanks. Okay, bye." He hung up. "Shit."

"What's up?" Buffy asked.

"Someone saw that little pyro trick with your sword." He said. "He reported to a guy I do some work for, a cable hack called Eyes Only. That was the guy that usually passes on the missions to me. Eyes Only want's answers."

"And this has what to do with him?" Buffy asked.

"He investigates conspiracies, weird happenings, that sort of things." Connor explained. "He checked out a description and came up with the old police case file on your disappearance."

"They reported it?" Buffy asked. "Did they all lose the ability to think when I disappeared?"

"No, your father showed up the next day and reported it." Connor said. Buffy groaned.

"Not a peep from him and he pops up out of the blue at the worst possible moment." She said. "My life sucks."

"Yeah, but then, everyone's does at some point?" Connor said. "Any way, we'd better get some rest. We got a lot to do tomorrow."

"Hey, Jubes? What's she like?" Joyce asked as the Blackbird streaked through the air.

"Well…" Jubilee said, thinking a moment. "She's strong, but not just physically. She win a battle of the wills with anyone, Logan included. She's smart, good in a fight, but…" She looked at her young friend, the girl that was like her sister. "She is a good friend, not one to back down if she knows, or even thinks, she's right. In other words, a lot like you." Joyce sat back in her chair.

"Where do you she's been all these years?" Jubes turned back to the controls.

"I don't know." She said. "From what Dawn said, Belasco used the wrong name when he tried to kill her. I don't know what, but it was enough to screw the spell. She also said that Buffy was full of the Phoenix Force, so it's possible that those factors may have just…sent her here. I'm not sure though." Joyce looked out the window.

"Belasco better stay in whatever hole he's hiding in." She growled. "'Cause when I get my hand on him…" She clenched her right hand, the Witchblade revealing itself.

"You may have to wait in line." Jubilee said with a grin. "Your mom will want a shot at him too. I know Angel and Kitty do."

"That creeps real popular." Joyce said.

"As popular as the plague."

Connor watched as the police walked into the warehouse. "Welcome to the party boys." He muttered. He went back to the skylight, watching the proceedings as the cops walked up to the suits waiting within. Ordinarily, he'd just be getting proof on this sort of thing, but this was kind of personal. The cops had just evicted some friends of his under the instructions of the suits, who worked for Wolfram &Hart. Connor wanted to know why. He watched carefully as the money exchanged hands. "Go time." He said, throwing the rope through the skylight. The brick on the other end beaned on cop. Connor grinned as he slid down the rope. On less scumbag to worry about, he thought as he landed among them. He took the cops down first, and then went after the W&H guys. Normally, he wouldn't have tried something like this alone. But then, he wasn't alone.

He was reminded of that when several of the guys went flying backwards without being touched.

"Do you always let the bad guys surround you like that?" Buffy said as she nailed two guys with a roundhouse kick. "What did your dad teach you?"

"I could have handled it." Connor said confidently, dropping two more.

"Whatever." Buffy said. "Oh, and duck." Connor hit the ground as Buffy launched over him, taking the last of the hired muscle. "And not a demon in sight. What, they're asking too much?" She saw the Wolfram & Hart guys heading for the door. "Freeze." She said. The two lawyers froze in there tracks. "Here." Buffy said, pointing at a spot in front of her. The lawyers were surrounded by a flaming orange glow and floated over to her.

"Cool trick." Connor said, walking over to her. Buffy grinned at him, and then turned her attention to her prisoners.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked. The lawyers remained silent. She reached under her jacket and pulled her sword out, holding it in front of her. She held it so the flat of the blade was facing the two layers, the Phoenix glowing bright at the tip. "Do you know who I am?" She repeated. The older of the two gulped.

"Dragon Slayer." He said. "He told us he'd…" Buffy eyes lit with flames.

"Who told you?" She said. In the background, Connor could here a raptor's cry. "Answer my question." Buffy said coldly. The older gulped.

"Belasco." He breathed. "He promised you were out of the way." Buffy stared at him.

"Why did you want everyone out of the building?" Connor asked.

"A client wanted the land." The younger said. "I don't know why."

"What client?" Connor said.

"I can't tell you that." He said. "Client confidentiality."

"Then we do this the hard way." Buffy said, reaching out with her mind. "There is no client." She said after a second. "They have something in mind. Them and Belasco." The older looked over at her. How had she gotten that information? How was she holding them like this?

"Then it involves Kitty." Connor said. He didn't need to say anything else. Buffy turned back to the lawyers.

"Spread the word." She said. "Tell your 'clients' I'm back. Tell them what I can do, and what I did. Tell Belasco that he can't kill me, and that I'm coming for him. Finally, tell your bosses that if they even think about touching Kitty, I will reduce they're building to a smouldering rubble. With them in it. Understand?" They both nodded. "Good. Leave." They disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Connor asked.

"I sent them outside." She said. Connor noticed she was a bit tired. "It takes a bit out of me, but I can handle it." Connor nodded.

"Come on." He said. "Let's get out of here. You need to rest." Buffy turned to him.

"No offence but could you not do that." She said. Connor looked at confused. "Act like Angel. It doesn't help."

"I'll try to remember that." Connor said with a grin as he helped her out to his car.

Max watched as they got back into the car. She had heard a disturbance in the warehouse as she had passed after a delivery. Seeing the two from last night walking out, one of them totally exhausted, piqued her interest. On investigation, she found a pile of unconscious grunts, as well as a couple of cops. There were also two guys in suits just outside the back door trying to recover from…something. Neither of them had a mark. "So, you wanna tell me what that was about?"

"That's…" The older guy looked up and stopped. "I mean it's nothing. A misunderstanding. Nothing more. Excuse us." Max watched as they walked out. Well that was interesting, she thought reaching for her phone. She pressed the quick dial number for Logan.

"A saw our mystery couple again." She said, heading for her pushbike. "They beat up some cops, a couple of suits and their bodyguards."

"Any idea who the suits were?" Logan asked.

"Nope, they took off real fast." Max answered. "Funny thing. They seem real nervous when they saw me."

"Connected to Manticore?"

"Maybe. I'll check it out and hit you back."

"Right, I'll check some things out on my end see what I can find." Logan said. "By the way, I've got something on the female. She went missing about seventeen years ago. Thing is, she hasn't aged a day."

"Say what?" Max filed that away. "Logan, there's something real familiar about this. I think…I've heard of this. I just wish I knew where, or the full story."

"Glad I've still got a little money left." Jubes said as she put her remaining cash in her pocket. "I thought they were going to take everything for that bribe."

"Like you don't have enough." Joyce said. "Let's move it." She was anxious to see Connor again, not to mention the prospect of meeting her mother. Just thinking about it gave Joyce butterflies. She just hoped she didn't stuff it up. She would give anything to make this work.

She followed Jubilee to a nearby building. "I've got a car stashed nearby." She said as they headed into the garage. Inside was an old black Tranzam. "Open the door, Joyce. I'm going to see if this works." She sat in the drivers seat, pulling a key out from under the car body. "Please work." She whispered, turning the key. The engine roared to life after the few tries. "Yes." She said. Joyce grinned as she sat in the passenger side.

"Nice car." She said. "Let's roll."

Buffy looked out the window. This time, this world, it was so different to what she was used to. So much chaos. At least I won't get bored, she thought as Connor walked in. "How was your meeting?" Connor sighed.

"I had to tell him everything." He said. "I'm sorry, he's so bloody…"

"It's alright Connor." Buffy said. "As long as he isn't going to put me on television." Connor winced.

"You saw one of the transmissions." Buffy nodded. "Well, I've got more bad news. He wants to meet you, as close as he can come to meeting a person, which'll be through a transmission." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I'm beginning to miss being secret identity girl." She groaned. "When is this meeting?"

"Tomorrow." Connor said. "But I've got some things to do for him tonight, so…"

"I got it." Buffy said, grabbing her sword. "Solo patrol. No sweat, I'm used to it."

"I'm really sorry." Connor said. "What I'm doing is real sensitive. Some…"

"Connor, settle down." Buffy said. "It's alright, honest. I've been on enough solo patrols back in Sunnydale. I can handle it. Go topple some crooked cops or something." Connor grinned. One thing you could say, she had a comment for every situation.

"Alright. Just be careful. Things are a bit more hectic here than what your used to." Buffy smiled and headed out the door.

Running straight into Joyce.

Buffy recognised her straight away from the photo. Even without it, she would have known her daughter. She had Logan's eyes, piercing and serious. Her blonde hair was cut to her shoulders and tied back out of her eyes. Buffy felt her breath catch in her throat. "Joyce?" She breathed. Joyce stared at her for a moment, and then recognition seemed to dawn on her face. The girl reached into her pocket, producing a photo. She looked at it, then at Buffy's face.

"Oh my…" She breathed, dropping the photo. Buffy bent over and picked it up. It was a photo of Logan, her and their baby girl. Buffy's hand began to shake.

"It is you. Joyce." Buffy wrapped her daughter in her arms. Joyce responded in kind, barely able to whisper one word.

"Mommy?"

         Whoa, give me a minute. Okay, that's better. Things seem to be moving along well, but how will the two Summers girl handle things on their first patrol together?

Stay Tuned.

Doc.


	4. Where Max fits in

Greetings and Salutations.  Alright, here's another chapter. Buffy and Joyce on patrol, and what's Max's part in all this. Plus the last days of Wolverine.

Joyce ducked under the vamps punch, bringing her right hand up. Spikes extended from the Witchblade, piercing through its heart.

"You're good." Buffy said as the vampire exploded into dust. "I'm glad someone in this backward hell hole taught you the ropes." If only you knew, Joyce thought. They walked along for a moment, eyes peeled. "Joyce, I need to know. How'd it happen?" There was no need to ask her to clarify. Joyce knew what she meant. How dad died.

"We'd found this kid, about a year before hand." She began. "She was dressed in some kind of uniform. Dad took her in immediately, and taught her how to think for herself. Then the guys that she escaped from caught up with us. Dad stayed to hold them off while I got her out of there. I got her to an old abandoned house and told her to stay put, then went back to help dad." She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. "When I got back, dad was down. Poison dart, something his healing factor couldn't beat. I went to pick the girl up, and she was gone. I shouldn't have left her."

"It's all right." Buffy said, hugging her close. "You did what you thought was right. I doubt Logan would have faulted you, I don't."

"I just wish I knew if she was alive."

Max watched as they walked on, tears welling in her own eyes. That was the answer, that was why all this seemed so familiar! That was the one Wolverine had told her about, and Joyce was with her. She was debating on whether to go talk to them when some weird scaly guys jumped them. At first she thought they were transgenics, but there was something different about them. She leapt from the rooftop, clothes lining two of them. She took two more down with a roundhouse. She spun around ones strike and came face to face with Joyce.

"Long time no see." She said as they went back to back.

"Do I know you?" Joyce asked, trying to keep an eye on her mother. Several of the demons had her surrounded. Joyce smiled to herself. They don't know who they're messing with.

"I'm sorry I didn't wait like you asked me to." Max said, as she sidestepped a punch. "They got too close. Staying there was dangerous."

"Max?" Joyce ducked under another demon, ramming the Witchblade through its gut.

"We'll talk later." Max said. She looked over at Buffy. "Should we help her?"

"Hang on a sec." Joyce said, taking the last of the demons attacking her down. "She can handle herself."

"You sure?" Joyce grinned over at her.

"You heard my dad's stories." She said. "Let's see how right he was." Buffy grinned as she heard the comment, drawing her sword.

"Come on, lizard lips." She said. "Let's get this over with. I've got meeting tomorrow, and I still want to get home." The demon attacked, claws outstretched. Buffy leapt over him, slicing through the things back with her sword. "Next." The remaining two charged, mouths foaming. They were coming in to fast for her to dodge them. But then, she didn't have.

Flames gathered around her as she floated some inches off the ground. The blade of her sword burst into flames, the Phoenix at the end seeming to move. She brought the sword above her head, and then brought it down. A thin column of flame formed, slicing through the demons. Max watched as they disintergrated in the heat. "Holy shit." She breathed as the flames died down. Joyce ran over to her mother.

"I'm fine." Buffy said as Joyce helped her up. "But we'd better get out of here. Someone was bound to see that."

"If they didn't, they're blind." Max said. Buffy smiled.

"So you're the girl that Logan died saving, huh?" The two girls stared at her. "What, you think I didn't hear you? These ears aren't just there to frame my face you know." She looked directly at Max, giving her a warm and friendly smile. "And before you say it, don't sweat it. It wasn't your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's the creeps that were chasing you. And Logan. Never could refuse someone in need." She began to walk off. "Coming?" The two girls looked at each other, and then followed her.

When they got back to Connor's place, they were met by another familiar face.

"Xander?" Buffy ran up and embraced her friend. "My God it's so good to see you."

"Hey, Buff." Xander said, hugging her back. "Damn it's good to see you. What took you so long?" Buffy pulled back, a strange smile on her face.

"Seventeen years, and you still haven't changed." She looked over at the girl sitting in the corner. "Well, not to much. I can't believe you became a Watcher." Xander shrugged.

"Someone had to keep an eye on them." He said. "Besides, they offered. What can I say, they recognised the skills."

"What, Donut guy?" Buffy said jokingly, walking over to the girl. "I presume this is your charge?"

"That's her." Xander said. "Buffy, meet Joanie." Joanie got to her feet and held out her hand.

"Xander's told me so much about you." She said. "The Watcher's say you're the best." Buffy shot a glance at Xander as she took the Slayers hand.

"They changed their tunes once it got out that the Phoenix chose you to take out the Dragon." Xander said. "Plus the fact that Dawn's Guardian of the Earth."

"And the Master and Adam and everything else." Joanie said. "They actually give us all the Diaries to read. I read yours first."

"Well, looks like Faith got the message across." Buffy said, remembering the day Faith had brought the Diaries to her place for storage. "Where is she, anyway?"

"Headed of to live with her brother." Jubilee said. "Dawns probably already filled her in." Buffy nodded.

"At least one of us got their happily ever after." She muttered unhappily.

"Don't worry, we'll get you back." They turned to see Angel walk in with Kitty and Connor. "Trust me." Joyce ran over to Connor and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks for looking after her." She muttered into his ear. Connor grinned.

"We can talk rewards once we get everyone settled elsewhere." He said cheekily.

"You better behave yourself, kid." Buffy said.

"Always." Connor said. Buffy smirked.

"Yeah right." She looked over at Angel and Kitty. There was something different about the mutant, and it wasn't her age. Must be that Immortality thing Logan told me about. "And how are you guys going?" Kitty smirked and held up her left hand, showing Buffy the wedding ring. "Oh my God." The Slayer squealed. "When?"

"About three and a half years after you…disappeared." Kitty said. "We had some Belasco trouble and Angel wanted to make sure everyone knew who I belonged to." She cuddled up to her husband. "What can I say, he's got a soft side." Buffy smiled sadly.

"Congratulations." She said. "I'm happy for you. No I am. I…I am." Angel walked over to her.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." Buffy looked out the window. "I…I miss him. I just wish he was here."

"I know." The others gathered around her.

"We'll get you home." Joyce said. "Then you can fix this." Buffy turned to her, a small grin on her face.

"You got a plan?" Buffy asked. Joyce grinned, looking at the others.

"Trunks." She said simply. Max looked at her confused. "Faith's husband. He's from another timeline, still has the time machine." Buffy punched the air.

"I can get home." She stopped. "After I've figured out what W&H want that land for and what Belasco has to do with it." Kitty stiffened. Joyce let out a low growl. "Plus, Eyes Only wants to interrogate me." Max winced. "What?"

"I'm the one that saw that whole fire bird thing." She said. "I couldn't properly remember where it seemed familiar, just that it did. If I knew who you were, I wouldn't have said a word."

"It's all right." Buffy said. "I'll just dazzle him with my…"

"Humour?" Xander said.

"Flare for the obvious?" Angel said.

"Be nice." Buffy said. "Besides, I must have something. I had you two fighting over me."

"Hey!" The two said indignantly.

Okay, that should answer a few of the questions, main one being how Logan died. If you want to know what kind of Belasco problems, check out Immortal beginnings (if you haven't already) and remove Buffy and Logan from that scene. It would've been close. In the next chapter, Buffy meets Eyes Only.

Stay Tuned.

Doc.


	5. Meetings and Arrivals

Greetings and Salutations. This is the next chapter. 

Buffy sat in the chair, waiting for the meeting to start. "I wish he'd hurry up." She said. At that moment, the monitor sprang to life, showing the now familiar Eyes Only graphics.

"Elizabeth Summers?" Buffy made a face, making sure she was facing the camera.

"I prefer Buffy." She said. "Elizabeth makes me sound like a snob."

"Connor told me about the vampires, so there'll be no reason for you to explain that."

"Good." Buffy said. "It's been a while since I had to explain the whole Slayer thing. I don't think I remember it."

"Instead," Eyes Only continued. "I thought I'd ask you about where you've been the past seventeen years."

"Would you believe, I don't know?" Buffy said sheepishly. "All I remember is getting zapped by red demon guy, and then waking up here."

"You don't know how it happened?"

"This, I can answer." Buffy grinned. "Spells can be exact. Sometimes you need a name. You use the wrong name, you don't get the result your looking for. Sometimes, it just doesn't work. If there are other factors, like a reward from a cosmic being of infinite power, you get the unexpected or impossible. Like being thrown forward in time." Buffy shrugged. "He called 'Ms Summers'. I haven't been 'Ms Summers' since my daughter was born."

"I see." Buffy stared straight at the camera.

"Look, super star." She said angrily. "I don't know what your deal is, but the way I see it, this has nothing to do with your normal deal. So, what's the interest?"

"I've been doing investigation into Wolfram & Hart." He said. "Some of your past associates are high on there 'things to do' list."

"So you want to make sure I am who I say I am?" She asked. She began to re-evaluate her opinion of him. "So, we gonna meet face to face, or is this closest we're gonna get?"

"I don't meet face to face." He said.

"Of course." Buffy said, slightly frustrated. "So, what now? I can find a lift home," Let him stew on that for a while. "but I'm not going anywhere until I figure out what W&H are doing with that building and what horn head has to do with it."

"I'll organise some ID." Eyes Only said. "And a job. I'll tell Connor if I find anything."

"All right, but don't screw with me." She said dangerously, getting to her feet. "It's a good way of getting hurt."

Logan Cale sat back in his chair, thinking over the meeting with Buffy. That girl had a lot of problems, besides the fact that she was time lost. He closed his eyes. Thrown through time because of a screwed up spell, that was more than he was willing to believe, yet Connor went along with it, and it matched what Max had told him earlier that day. Everything pointed to the impossible and unbelievable fact that she really had been thrown through time. If that was the case though, why here? Why now? Did it have something to do whatever it was Wolfram & Hart were up to? He didn't know, like he didn't know a lot of what was going on. One thing was for sure; he couldn't go to air with this. Max would hate him forever.

And there is my other problem, he thought sourly. My feelings for a relationship that could never happen because of that bloody virus. He got out of his chair. I need a drink.

Willow looked out the window of their private plane as it touched down at Seattle. It had been two weeks since they had gotten the message, and they had finally made it. "You alright?" Blade asked.

"Yes. I mean no. I mean…" He sat down next to her. "Can't you ask Riley that question? He'd probably have a straighter answer."

"Yeah." Blade agreed. "But I don't give a rats ass how he is. It's you I'm worried about." Willow leaned on her lovers shoulder.

"Do you think she knows about Logan yet?" Blade thought for a moment.

"You mean do I think Joyce and the others have told her yet?" He corrected her. "They probably didn't have to." Willow nodded sadly. Looking out the window again. At least they landed at night. There was no way they were going to be able to keep Dru on the plane. When she had shown up in Sunnydale all those years ago with her soul in tact, Buffy had been the only Scooby that had trusted her without question. Her disappearance had affected Dru more than any of them. She had happily fled into insanity to escape the pain. It had taken Spike, Tara, Dawn and herself to bring her back out. With Buffy's return…

"Wills, we've landed." Blade said. Willow sighed, tearing herself from his arms and planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"You pay off the nice authority figures and I'll prep the van." She said. "And try not to kill anyone." She said. She looked at Spike as she passed him and Dru. The Pulse had shorted the chip, but by then, he had asked Dawn to give him his soul, permanently. "That goes for you too." She said. He may have had his soul, but that didn't mean he refrained from killing the odd cop or some other extremely annoying authority figure. 

Two hours later, they were off. Spike was driving, about which Blade bitched to the extreme.

"Do you not know the meaning of speed limit?" He demanded.

"What the bloody hell is a speed limit?" Spike yelled back, taking his eyes off the road.

"Would you watch where the fuck you're going?" Blade yelled. "You may already be dead, but the rest of us do not want to end up that fucking way." Spike grinned as he dodged in and out of on going traffic. "That's it, Willow. I'm gonna dust his ass here and now."

"Behave Spike." Willow ordered.

"Aw, come off it Red." The blonde vamp said as he dodged yet another car. "I'm just having some fun." Dru, who was sitting behind him, leant forward and whispered something into his ear. Spike gave a goofy grin and his driving immediately improved.

"All you have to do is ask nicely." The seer said.

"I really don't want to know how you asked." Willow said. She looked at Riley, who was sitting on the other chair. "You alright?" She asked.

"Nervous." He said. "We never really left things on a good note." He looked at the red head. "How do you think she'll feel seeing me again?"

"She'll probably just be happy to have another familiar face." Willow said. "Don't sweat it." 

"Yeah, don't sweat it." He mumbled as they stopped at Connor's building. Willow and Dru literally flew out of the van and up the stairs.

"Women." Spike muttered, pulling out a cigarette.

Buffy looked out the window. Soon as Max showed up, they'd do a quick patrol then head for Crash. They were still no closer to figuring up what Belasco was up to. Buffy was all for the direct approach, which meant breaking into Wolfram & Hart, but everyone else said that they should wait for the others. A knock on the door broke her train of thoughts. "I'll get it." She said, smiling at the muffled chorus of thankyou from Connors room. She was glad Eyes Only had found her a place of her own. She didn't think she could have handled whatever Connor and Joyce did in there. I don't even want to know, she thought as she opened the door. Her brain stopped working when she saw who it was.

"Willow! Dru!" She hugged her friends tightly. "Thank God, your both still here."

"Yes, well someone had to wait for you." Dru said with a grin.

"Yeah, I…" Buffy stopped. "Wait a sec! Your sane!" Dru's grin widened.

"Almost." She said. "And your disappearance didn't help." Her grin fell as she thought of what happened, how, so soon after she had started atoning for the pain she had caused Buffy, so soon after becoming her friend, she had taken from them. Buffy hugged her tight. She had never realised how important she was to the seer.

"Well I'm here now." She said. "And as soon as I get details on what needs fixing and what Belasco's up to, I'm going back to make sure this doesn't happen." Dru looked at her, her grin returning. Willow had smile of her own.

"Well, don't forget to let me and Blade meet at least once." She said. "I can't imagine life without him anymore."

"You talkin' 'bout me pet?" Spike asked as he, Blade and Riley walked up the stairs. Buffy smiled at him.

"Spike." She said sweetly. "Still part snake I see?" Spike winced.

"Bloody hell. Seventeen years hasn't calmed you down any." He said.

"You've still got a smart mouth girl." Blade said. Buffy smiled at the Daywalker.

"What you think a little thing like a trip through time is gonna change me?" She said cheekily. "You better be taking care of Willow, bub. Otherwise, well, you remember how easily I took you down last time." Blade chuckled. Buffy looked past him, her gaze falling on Riley.

"Hey." She said neutrally.

"Hey Buffy." He said. He sub consciously rubbed the scar on face, a little reminder of his time as the Dragon's host. "You're looking good."

"And you are looking better than the last time I saw you." She said. He nodded. "I guess I'd better let you in. Connor and Joyce should be up soon."

"No guesses for what they're doing in there." Blade said.

"Jealous?" Willow poked him in the ribs. Blade grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close.

"Why would I be?" He said, kissing her hard on the lips. Buffy gagged. The others chuckled.

"Geez, Willow. What happened to your taste?" Blade gave her a look that said 'I really detest you' while the others laughed aloud. Even Riley indulged in a chuckle. Buffy smiled sweetly as they entered. "I'll go see if I can untangle the love birds." She went to Connors bedroom door and knocked loudly. "Up an' at 'em, kids." She called through the door.

"Aw, come on, Buffy." Connor yelled. "It's…seven pm. Give us a break."

"I'd love to, but Willow and Co. just arrived." She said. Mumblings of 'oh shit' could be heard quite clearly as they scrambled to untangle the covers. Buffy chuckled as she went out to join the others. "They'll be out soon." She said. She saw Willow over near Connors photos. She walked over and saw she was looking at the photo of the old gang.

"Seems like a life time ago." The red headed witch muttered.

"I know." Buffy whispered. "On the up side, Xander and Angel are already in Seattle, Kitty and Joanie are with them and Jubilee's here too." Willow turned to face her. "I got a message from Oz as well."

"So Giles tracked him down?" Willow couldn't believe it. It really felt like the gang was coming back together.

"Yeah." Buffy nodded. "If I read the message right, not only has he got a girlfriend, but he's either got control over the beast, or a total cure."

"He finally found something?" Willow couldn't believe it. After all these years… "And a girlfriend?" Buffy shrugged.

"Guess we'll find out soon." Buffy said. Max walked in at that moment, surprised at the amount of company.

"Who are all these people?" She asked. Buffy made her way to her, making sure to step on Spike's foot on the way.

"Hey, watch it!" He yelled indignantly. Buffy stuck her tongue out at him.

"Can it, William." She ordered.

"Bloody hell, she hasn't changed." He mumbled. "Still a bitch." Dru shot a death stare at him.

"Watch it, Spike, that's my mother you're calling a bitch!" Joyce yelled.

"Bloody mutant and her bloody hearing." He was thrown over the back of the chair as Buffy's knee hit his face.

"Say anything like that about my daughter again, Spike, and so help me…" Buffy glared at him threateningly.

"Logan said you weren't someone he'd like to cross." Max said, walking up behind Spike. She grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air. "But then, neither am I. Military trained transgenic. I know thousands of ways to kill a normal human. Where a vamp's concerned, I know thousands of ways to keep you in pain for a very long time. Joyce is a good friend of mine. Talk about her like that again, and we get to see what works. Understand?" Spike nodded, as much as he could, and Max dropped him. Dru moved to his side.

"You just couldn't keep your mouth shut could you, baby?" She whispered.

"Not my style, pet." He said. "You know that."

"Suggestion." Max said with a grin. "Get a new style." Buffy cracked up, with Spike giving her all sorts of dirty looks. Willow grinned, looking at the photo again. Almost like old times.

See ya next time (I'm running low on wit. So sue me, its twelve thirty am).

Stay tuned.

Doc.


	6. More Arivals

Greetings and Salutations. I just want to thank everyone for the reviews. I appreciate it, it keeps me going. News for 'Slayer's Knight', Buffy and Thailog's first trip is to the universe of Stargate: SG-1. I'm writing it now. I'm about a quarter through. Soon, I hope. Well, on with this story.

"Well, we're here." Rahne said. "What now?" Oz looked around. The Pulse had hit Seattle hard. Real hard. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Well, at this time of day, Buffy'll probably be patrolling." He said.

"Ye dinnae think she'll be lookin' for a way home?" She asked. Oz shook his head with a grin.

"If I know Buffy, she'll be out to release some frustration." He said, almost feeling sorry for any demons and vamps on the move. "Easy way to find out." He pulled his phone out; calling the number the message from Buffy had come from.

"Yer a genius, luv." Rahne said. Oz grinned.

"Hello?" The male voice said from down the line.

"I'm looking for Buffy Summers? Just tell her its Oz."

"Okay." There was a muffled, 'Buffy, its for you. He said his names Oz' followed by some squealing.

"Oz?" Buffy s voice floated down the line.

"Hey Buff." Nothing's changed, he thought.

"What are you doing? Where are you? How are you? Have you actually found a cure? And a girlfriend?" Oz laughed.

"You haven't changed, Buffy." He said. "And I'll answer your questions as soon I find you. We just got off the plane."

"You're in Seattle?" Buffy said excitedly. "We'll come and pick you up. Stay there, don't die on me."

"I'll try not to." Oz said, and they hung up. "Looks like we're waiting here. And not dieing." Rahne laughed. God that's beautiful, Oz thought.

"Sounds like she has nae changed much since last time ye seen her." She said. Oz shrugged.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think Buffy could really change, no matter how long it's been." He said. "She's one of those people who will always be, essentially, the same person, no matter what happens."

"I've known some people like that." She said, thinking about Kitty and her other friends with the X-Men. "They are who they are, they act like they feel. They cannae be any different than who they are." Oz nodded.

"That's Buffy." He said. "Valley girl with a stone centre." Rahne laughed again.

"Sound's like someone I know."

Dawn stood upon her Lookout, watching as things progressed. A grin spread across her face as Buffy obliterated the remaining two demons. She hadn't lost any of her power during her trip here. If anything, she was even more powerful than ever. She continued to watch as she, Joyce and Max returned to Connors place. Then Joyce mentioned Trunks and his Time Capsule. Dawn grinned. That niece of hers was smart, she hadn't even thought to that. She sent a message to Dende. Faith had to know.

Faith ducked under the yellow beam. "Come, Goten, your better than that." She said. The demi Saiyan grinned.

"Yeah, I know." He said. "So's he." Faith felt a small foot ram into her back. She fell quickly, landing on her hands and vaulting to her feet.

"Team work. Finally, I was wondering when you'd get involved, little one." She said with a grin. The lavender haired youth landed next to her nephew.

"I wish you wouldn't call me that." Trunks said. Faith grinned.

"But it's the only way to refer to you without him thinking I'm talking to him." She said. The two warriors looked at each other before realising what she was talking about.

"Move!" Goten yelled as Mirai Trunks appeared, his fist coming down. They barely managed to get out to the way, though Chibi Trunks caught the flat of his 'brother's' foot. "Damn, I should've known. Where you find one, the other's never far away." He released a shower of energy. The older Trunks managed to dodge or deflect some of the shots, but was soon over powered by it.

"Trunks!" Faith flew through the shots, pulling her husband out. "Are you alright?" He grinned. "You're bleeding!"

"That nephew of your's…really packs a punch." He said through clenched teeth. Faith laughed.

"Yeah, looks like he's finally stopped holding back." She said. She landed, lowering him to the ground. "It's down to one on one. I don't think your little brother's getting up after that kick." She looked over at her nephew. Goten had already hit Super Saiyan. She grinned. "So, decided to finally give me a challenge? 'Bout time." She powered up to Super Saiyan and launched towards him. To his credit, he lasted longer than she thought he would. She told him that when he stopped fighting.

"Thanks, aunty Faith." He said. "I just wish you'd let show how proud you are of me by not turning me into a punching bag every training session." Faith burst into laughter.

"You asked for it." Trunks said, walking over to them. Chibi was right behind him. "You should know by now that injuring one of us is just asking for a hammering."

"Yeah, but this was just training." Chibi said. "I don't remember enrolling in the school of hard knocks."

"As Piccolo would say, tough." Faith said. "You came to us, remember? You wanted our help to keep your strength up to snuff. That means you work hard. Just be glad my sensei isn't the one training you. You wouldn't stand five seconds with him, let alone one year."

"Sounds like Gohan picked up some training tips then." Her husband said. "I remember one time he knocked me into a whirlpool, made me swim to shore by myself, then just handed me a towel."

"My brother did that?" Goten couldn't believe it. Gohan seemed gentle, nothing like that. "Man."

"Well, he had been fighting Androids for thirteen years." Trunks said as they headed for the Son house.

"Momma." Their six-year-old daughter, Elizabeth came screaming towards them. Faith bent down to pick her up.

"Hey baby. I presume you were good." She asked. The girl nodded.

"Uh-huh." She said. "Uncle Goku showed me some moves." Faith shot a glance at her brother.

"Oh he did, did he?" She said. "Goku, I'm pretty sure I said I wanted to train her personally, or did I just imagine that?"

"Ah, come on, Faith." He said. "It was just a few little moves." Faith glared at him.

"Goku, did Vegeta wack you in the head too hard last time you two sparred or something?" She said. "There was a specific reason I wanted to start her training, remember? The Mark of the Order? As much as I hope she isn't called any time soon, I need to make sure she's ready. That means I have to train her. I know you were trying to help, but…"

"Aw, leave him alone, Faith." A rough voice said. "You're starting to sound Chi Chi."

"Yajirobe!" Goku said, thankful for the interruption. "What are you doing here?"

"Dende just got word form Dawn." He said. "She said Buffy finally got back."

"Buffy?" Faith couldn't believe it. She had been punishing herself ever since Belasco had supposedly killed her. If only she'd taken care of that creep sooner, it would never have happened. "She's back? This better not be some sick joke, tubby, or so help me, I'll kill you slowly and painfully."

"Calm down, Faith." Trunks moved up behind his husband. "I don't think he'd do that to you." Faith hugged her daughter close.

"So, she's really back?" Faith said, still in shock.

"Yeah, she's back." Yajirobe said. "They need Trunks' Time Capsule to get her home." Trunks nodded.

"I'll borrow dad's space capsule…"

"Why?" Faith asked. "We can get Buu to take us. And we are all going." Elizabeth nodded her head.

"Yeah." She said. "I wanna meet her."

"Meet who?" Dragon Buu came towards them, Vegeta close behind.

"Buffy's back." Faith said. Vegeta grinned.

"So, your little friend has finally decided to come back has she?" Vegeta said with a smirk. Faith glared at him.

"That sounded like a derogatory comment." She said dangerously. "I suggest you don't do that anymore." She turned to Trunks. "We should start getting ready."

"I'll get the Capsule." He said. "And some clothes for Beth." The girl made a face.

"Daddy! I've asked you not to call me that." She said. He grinned and headed back toward Capsule Corp.

"You need help?" Goku asked. Faith shook her head.

"This is personal." She said. "I have to make up for not taking out Belasco when I had the chance. I'm not taking any arguments this time, bro." He nodded, clearly not happy. "Besides, Trunks'll be there, and Buu, Blink and Herc as well. We can handle it."

"Alright, just take care of yourselves." Goku was worried about her. Buffy's disappearance had hit her hard. She had blamed herself for it and it had taken ages for her to get over it. Even now, she still had nightmares about it. Perhaps she could finally atone for her supposed failure. "Just be careful, okay? If our parents contact me and tell me you've shown up in the afterlife, you're in big trouble."

"Yes sir." She said. "Come on, shorty. Let's go." She took off, holding Elizabeth tight. Buu flew close behind her. Goku watched them leave.

"Relax, Kakarot." Vegeta said. "She's got enough back up. She'll be fine."

"I guess." Goku said. "But it's not physical injury I'm worried about. It's mental. How's she going to handle seeing Buffy again? I mean, she's been blaming herself for what happened for seventeen years." Goten and Chibi Trunks looked at each other. How indeed.

Well, Faith and Trunks are on the way, but Belasco still hasn't shown himself since the first chapter. What's he up to, and what will it mean for the gang?

Stay tuned.

Doc.


	7. Dream Visit

Greetings and Salutations. More form the future. Get ready for some surprise visit.

There was an all round hug fest when Connor returned with Oz and Rahne. Xander, Oz, Willow and Buffy gathered in the centre of the room, just enjoying being together again.

"When Giles said you'd disappeared, I thought I'd never see you again." Oz said.

"Neither'd anyone else." Xander said. "'Cept Dawnie." Buffy laughed.

"Yeah, that's my little sister." She said. "The ray of sunshine." Buffy looked over at Rahne, Kitty and Jubilee. "But you…Oz, of all the people you could find to help learn control, not to mention fall in love with, you chose an X-man? I'm beginning to see a pattern here." Oz shrugged.

"I think it's good he's got a girlfriend." Willow said. "Everyone need's someone." She looked over at Blade, who was glaring at Oz. "Even if they are jealous, over protective head cases." Blade's glare changed target. Willow smiled sweetly.

_"Buffy, good news." _Dawn's voice interrupted their conversation. _"I just heard from Dende. Faith's on her way. Trunks and Dragon Buu are with her; they're bringing the Time Capsule. They're bringing their daughter, Elizabeth, with them."_

"Whoa, Faith's a mother? Faith?" Buffy felt suddenly out of her depth. "Irresponsible, 'Five by Five' Faith, a mother? I've missed a lot." Her eyes drifted out the window. "This is isn't fair." She muttered. "I feel like my life's been stolen form me, like I don't know what's going on anymore." She hugged herself. "I miss Logan. I want him back so bad."

"Maybe you should get some rest." Willow said. She was worried about her friend. Buffy tried to make like everything was fine, that she was coping with it all, but Willow knew it was an act. Times like this, when it really hit home that she wasn't home, made it all the more obvious. "You really haven't taken a break since you got back from…wherever. You need to rest."

"Yeah, getting bumped through time is sure to strain anyone." Xander said. "Take the night off. We'll cover it. There's enough of us." Buffy grinned as she looked around the room. It certainly seemed like most of the Scooby Gang extended family was here. Even Spike was being civil, which was a stretch for him.

"Yeah, maybe I should get some rest." Buffy said.

"No should about." Joyce said, coming up to them. "Get some sleep. You need it. Maybe you'll have some sweet dreams." She smiled mysteriously with that comment.

"That would be nice." Buffy said. "Dreams without someone trying to kill me." Oz grinned.

"Or the rest of us." He said. "Go get some sleep."

"What, you're all ganging up on me now?" She said jokingly.

"Yes." Angel said. "Sleep. Now."

"Yes, dad." Buffy said. They all looked at her. "Alright, alright, I'm convinced. I'm going to get some beauty sleep." She headed for the door. "After a couple of hours patrol." She muttered.

"Buffy." Buffy looked at Drusilla. She, Spike, Angel, Joyce, Max, Rahne, Oz and Blade all looked at her.

"What? Don't tell me you heard that?" She winced as they all nodded. Spike grinned.

"As much as I appreciate the need to keep busy, pet, you need some sleep." He said.

"Fine, alright, I'll head straight home." She said, exasperated.

"I'll take her." Max said. "Make sure she gets there."

"Thanks Max." Joyce said as they left.

Buffy climbed off the bike. "Can I presume your love of motorbikes came form spending time with Logan?" She asked. Max grinned slightly as they made their way to Buffy's apartment.

"Partly." She said. "The first time I saw him was when he saved me from the goons from Manticore. He sped past on his bike and grabbed me. I met Joyce not long after, and Angel, Kitty and Connor. Hadn't seen them in years, so when I saw you and Connor, I didn't recognise him." She waited as Buffy unlocked the door. "What was Logan like? When you knew him?" Buffy chuckled.

"Probably no different than when you met him." She said. "I don't think he changed much in his entire life."

"Yeah, maybe." Max said, following Buffy in. "He seemed to have a good heart he…"

"Just never let it show." Buffy completed the sentence. "Yeah, that's him. I remember the first time we met…" Her breath caught in her throat as she remembered that first fight.

_"You sure we're all gonna fit in there, darlin'?" Logan asked, looking up at the house._

_"Sure we will." Said Buffy "We've already sorted out the rooms, it'll be fine. Oh," she added, "call my sister 'darlin' again and I will rip your arms off." Giles gave Buffy a look of 'watch what your saying'. Logan, however, just shook his head and laughed._

_"Whose ta say it was aimed at her?"_

_"Because," she began, grinning Scott's way. "now that I think of it, Scott's mentioned you in his letters, so I know you weren't speaking to Giles, and calling me 'darlin' is a good way of loosing something else." She gave him a warning glance before finishing. "I've had a bad week, so back off!" She picked up Scott's bags and headed inside, Giles and Dawn following closely behind her._

"You okay?" Max said. She shouldn't have let this conversation go this far; she knew how thinking of Wolverine hurt her. As much as it hurt to think about what might have been for her and Logan Cale.

"Yeah, I'm good." Buffy said with a weak grin. "I should know better."

"Yeah, you should." Max said with a laugh. "But I understand. I have my own problems."

"Let me guess. It has something to do with this other Logan everyone's talking about, right?" Buffy asked. Max looked at her in surprise. "I'm not stupid. There are two reasons a girl works for nothing. One, she doesn't have a choice or two, she likes the guy she's working for. Or with." She added.

"Alright, you got me." Max said, flopping down on the lounge. "But it's no good. There's no hope."

"Okay, now your starting to sound like Angel did when he had the happy clause." Buffy said, a hint of frustration in her voice. "So what's your excuse?"

"I got caught by Manticore a while back." Max said. "They planted a virus that doesn't affect me, but if me and Logan have any kind of intimate contact…he dies." Buffy smiled.

"That's it?" She said, reaching for the phone. "That's your problem? That might be easier fixed than you thought. Do you have anything on this virus?"

"Yeah." Max said sceptically. "Why?"

"You'll see." Buffy said. "Hey Connor? Yeah, I know, I'm supposed to rest, but I need to speak to Henry McCoy. You wouldn't happen to know if he's still around, would you?" Her face was nearly split in two by the grin that appeared. "Could you get Kitty to get in touch with him for me? I've got a project for him. Something he'll absolutely adore. A virus set to attack a particular person. Yeah, right up his alley. Right, thanks Connor. Yes, I'll go to sleep. 'Bye." She hung up, still grinning. "Heh, well wadaya know. Ol' Blue Boy made it through the Pulse."

"Who?" Max felt her hope raise slightly.

"Henry McCoy. He was one of the top scientists when I disappeared." Buffy was amazed at how easily she could say that. "He was also an X-Man. One of the originals. He did a lot of work on the Legacy Virus, trying to find a cure. If anyone can help you, it's him."

"You think he could?" Max asked hopefully. "How much will it cost?" Buffy shrugged.

"Probably nothing." She said. "He'll do it to help. Besides, he's probably looking for a challenge."

"Y'know, I'm glad you came back." Max said. "Besides this, you've helped me find Joyce and helped keep the various underworld elements…under. You're everything he said you were." Buffy smiled.

"Then he was exaggerating a bit." She said.

"Any way, I'd better head back." Max headed for the door. "Get some sleep. You do look like you need it."

"Alright. Try and keep them out of trouble for me." Max nodded and left. Buffy walked into her room. A little bit of sleep, and then she'd work out a little.

"Great, here we go again." No sooner had Buffy laid her head on her pillow than she found herself in that annoyingly familiar black area. "What is it this time?"

_"I thought you wanted ta see me, darlin'." The rough voice that cut through the darkness was painfully familiar. Buffy turned to meet its owner._

_"Logan?" Buffy's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. "What…How…?"_

_"Been waitin' for ya." He said. "Thought ya would've shown up in Valhalla by now. Should'a known better."_

_"Yeah." Buffy said, her voice cracking. Without warning she threw herself into his arms. "Oh God, Logan, I'm sorry. I should've been there."_

_"Hey now, enough of that." He said, wrapping his arms around her. "It's not yer fault. If anyone's ta blame here, it's Belasco." He held her tight. "I tried ta wait."_

_"I know." She said. "You're a stubborn bastard. You wouldn't have believed I was dead til you saw the body." Logan grinned._

_"Took me long enough to find ya." He said. "I didn't mind waitin' a little longer. Ya found Joyce yet?" Buffy nodded._

_"Dawn called her, Jubes Kitty, Angel and Connor in." She told him. "I called the rest of the gang. So much has changed."_

_"Ya expect it all ta stay the same?"_

_"I guess not." Buffy said. "By the way, I found Max."_

_"Yer jokin'." Logan remembered the girl with the buzz cut that wouldn't stop calling him 'sir'. "How is she?"_

_"Well, for one thing, you rubbed off on her." Buffy said with a smile. Logan chuckled._

_"Well she didn't really have much of a personality when I met her." He said. "Always called me 'sir' like she was in the army. Took a while ta break through her defences."_

_"Well, she isn't a soldier anymore." Buffy informed him. "She goes tearing down the road on a motor bike, disregarding speed limits. Like someone else I know."_

_"Well, it's nice ta know she managed to survive." He said. "So waddaya doin' now?"_

_"First, I find out what Belasco's up to." She felt him stiffen slightly. "Him and Wolfram & Hart are trying to get their grimy claws on some land in Seattle. I find out what the big deal is, then head home, make things right."_

_"That's my girl." Logan tightened his grip on her. "I just wish I could help."_

_"You can." She said. "Talk to someone, see if you can find out what the hell's going on. I get the feeling Belasco's up to something." Logan nodded._

_"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Logan pulled away a bit, looking into her eyes. "Watch yer back, darlin'. Belasco doesn't make mistakes like this if he knows the score. Somethin's up." Buffy nodded._

_"I'll be careful." She said. "And I will fix this."_

_"I don't doubt it for an instant, babe." He said. "I just don't wanna lose ya, fer good."_

_"Not happening." She said as their lips came together._

So, Logan makes a visit, Beast might be stopping by and Faith and co. still haven't arrived, but are on their way. I feel some serious butt kicking coming for some one. Review, please and, as always…

Stay tuned.

Doc.


	8. The End?

Greetings and Salutations.  Looky what have for you. A massive, and forseeably last, chapter of Dark Future. Belasco gets what he deserves, but what was he really up to, and more to the point, is it over?

The next day, Buffy walked into Jam Pony. It was decided that she would need a job to explain where the cash was coming from, and Max said Normal was always looking for a new slave.

"Yo, Normal, fresh meat." Max yelled. The skinny owner moved to the window.

"Another slacker to add to my growing collection?" he sneered as Buffy walked over to the desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for a job?" She said. She made sure Normal had a good look at her before moving to the desk. "Max said you might have something available."

"Well, I-I-I might be able to squeeze you in somewhere." He said, suddenly polite. "Just fill in these, and we'll organize a sector pass. You can get started today." Buffy flashed a smile at him. No matter when you were, men were all the same.

"Thanks. Um, I'm kinda new in town and haven't the money to buy my own bike…"

"Use one to the company bikes until you can afford one of your own." He said. Buffy filled out the forms and handed them to her. He handed her a temporary sector pass and the keys for one of the bike locks.

"Thanks." She said and walked over to Max.

"Damn, girl, you played him like a cheap violin." One of the other girls said. "I'm Original Cindy."

"Buffy." The Slayer said. "It's a talent."

"Must be rare." Max said. "I've never seen anyone play Normal like that."

"Hey, what do you slackers think your doing? This is a business, not a club." Normal said walking over. "I got a hot run for you, Max. Let's see if you can get this done within two hours for a change." He handed her some packages. "Take Beauty…I mean Buffy with you. Show her around."

"You got it." She said. Buffy stowed her things and grabbed a bike.

"Thanks, Boss." Buffy said using some of the moves she had seen Faith use. They rode off, leaving Normal feeling slightly happier than usual.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?" Max asked as they rode through the city. Buffy shrugged.

"Gotta get my kicks somewhere." She said.

"Well, you're happier than you were yesterday." Max noted. "What's the deal?"

"I got a visit.  Last night." Buffy said with a smile. "One of those dream visits I know so well. It was Logan."

"You're kidding, right?" Max couldn't believe it. The man was long dead, yet he visited Buffy in her dreams. "Are you sure it was him?" Buffy gave a sly smile.

"That depends." She said. "When did you stop calling everyone 'sir' or 'ma'am'?" Max almost stacked her bike.

"Joyce could've told you that." Max said lamely, but she didn't believe it. Not really.

"Do you really believe that?" Buffy asked.

"Not for an instant." Max said. "So, after all these years, he visits you in your dreams? That's either deep love or he's more stubborn than I remember." Buffy laughed.

"Probably a mixture of both." She said. "I think he was worried about me."

"He never forgot you." Max said. "I remember all the stories he told. You were always on his mind." Buffy smiled sadly. The feelings mutual, she thought.

"Let's get these packages delivered." Buffy said. "Sounds like you've got enough problems with Normal without being blamed for keeping me back." Max laughed as they headed for the first address.

That night, Buffy joined Max and the others at Crash, partly because Alec had promised to pay for her drinks, and mainly because the others were still on her case to relax.

"So, what do you think?" Max asked while Alec was getting a drink.

"Kind of like the Bronze back in Sunnydale." Buffy said. She looked around the bar. She noticed a guy leading a girl out of the bar. She felt the strangeness of him. "A little to much." She said, pointing it out to Max. "Vampire and victim. My guess is, they'll get just outside, head to an alley, start making out, then he'll have a bite to eat." She got up, checking her bag for her stakes. "So much for my day off." Max got up with her. "Hold on, Max. Let me do it. I haven't been on any solo patrols since I got here. I need to show I can do this alone."

"Alright." Max said. "Be careful."

"Mind my seat." Buffy took off after the vamp.

"Where's she going?" Alec said, coming back with the drinks.

"Things to do, jerks to beat up." Max shrugged. "Y'know. Girl stuff. She did say to mind her drink."

"Okay." Alec put a beer down next to his. "So…think I've got a shot?"

"In your dreams."

Buffy stalked the vamp carefully. She knew the dangers of running into this without thinking it through. She snuck carefully around the corner.

"I thought we were going to your place." The girl said.

"Aw, baby, I couldn't wait." He said. "I want you now." He kissed her neck lightly. "I want you so bad I can taste you." He let out an animal roar.

"Go time." Buffy muttered. "Hey, buddy." The vamp turned, game face in place. "Didn't your sire ever teach you its rude to bite?" The vamp dropped his intended victim and moved towards her. Buffy pulled out a small stake. "I'll take that as a no." She charged forward, stake ready. She ducked under his foot as it streaked towards her. She took a shot at his knee, and then threw a vicious upper cut. The vamp sprawled on the ground. Buffy raced forward, only to meet his foot with her face. She staggered back, dropping her stake. The vamp charged again, grabbing her by the throat.

"You come to feed me to?" He growled.

"Actually, I have a bit of dental advise." She said. "You should really brush those." With that, he exploded into dust. Buffy brushed the dust of her hand and spare stake before picking up the other one. She then went to check on the girl. "You alright?" She asked the girl.

"Was that one of those…transgenic things we've been hearing about?" She asked.

"Something a lot older than that I'm afraid." Buffy said. "You should head for home. And don't ask anyone in." The nodded her thankyou and ran off. Buffy looked around. "Yup, just like home." She said, looking down. "Another perfectly good outfit ruined." She headed back to Crash. Finish her drink, and then go to bed. Maybe Logan would visit again.

"You said she was out of the way!" The man accused. Belasco sighed irritated. "You said she couldn't interfere. The girl should be ours by now…"

"Ours?" Belasco broke in. "Ours?" He launched over the table, grasping the man by the throat. "You overstate the importance of yourself and your colleagues. You are nothing more than a means to an end. Shadowcat is, was and always will be mine and mine alone. The Slayer's reappearance is an unfortunate accident." A lie, of course. The Slayer would lead his front line, as Shadowcat would command his entire army. Both girls were integral in his plan, though where Pryde was concerned it was very personal. "Remember that."

"Of course." The W&H lawyer gasped. "My apologies. I was…over zealous."

"See that it does not happen again." He looked out the window, over the once sprawling metropolis of Seattle. "How goes the acquisition of the land I asked for?"

"It is…yours." The man said. "What importance does it hold?"

"None." Belasco said offhandedly. "But as long as the fools think it is, they will rush to find a way to keep it out of my hands. And while they rush around aimlessly, I shall take what is mind, and they shall be none the wiser." Belasco grinned. Soon, it would all be his.

The law clerk moved quickly down the hall, pressing the quick dial on his phone. "Sir, I have news. The land's a trap. They mentioned something about a Slayer as well." He listened a moment. "Alright, I understand. I'll leave it to you. Yes sir." He hung up the phone. He just hoped Eyes Only could use the news.

"Logan heard from Eyes Only." Max said as she came in. She hated keeping Eyes Only's identity from them, but the less people knew the better. "The lands a red herring."

"What do you mean, Max?" Buffy asked.

"There is no importance to it." She said. "One his agents in W&H called. He overheard two guys talking. The lands a fake to keep us at arms length til he's ready." Buffy looked out the window.

"Dawn, where's Faith?" 

"I've already sent them on their way. They should arrive with Faith's branch of Scoobies soon."

_"Good. Its time to move."_ Buffy turned to her friends. "No holding back now." She said. "We don't need to wait for him to make his move. We move on the land, try and draw him out."

"And if that don't work?" Spike asked. "This guy can't be that dumb."

"He's not." Kitty said. "He's bound to have a plan for this."

"I'm counting on it." Buffy said. He turned to each of them. "How many people can we organise to hit this thing?"

"A diversion." Angel realised. "Make him think we're hitting the land…"

"While we take Wolfram & Hart." Buffy confirmed. "Chances are that's where he's holed up. And I'm not talking sneaking here. With all of us, plus Faith, we can shelve the sneaky stuff."

"A full scale assault on W&H?" Jubilee exclaimed. "That's insane." Joyce smiled, a familiar feral grin. A grin just like her fathers.

"They'll never expect it." She said. "Until we're beatin' the doors down. A decent scrap at last." The Witchblade came out of hiding. "Beauty." Buffy smiled over at her.

"You're channelling your father." She pointed out with a grin. "That means you're with me." Joyce's grin got wider.

"Let's go, mom."

"We're over head." Faith said. "Let the games begin." She fired a small ki blast into the roof. Klaxons could be heard from where she was flying. "They better not have air to air, B." Buffy grinned. The slightly more controlled Faith had finally given way to the in your face, wild, scrapper Faith they all knew.

"Nothing that can pick up flying people." Logan Cale said over the comlink.

"Just don't get to close." Hank McCoy, the blue furred Beast, radioed from his position. He may have been a little older than he used to be, but that didn't make him totally useless. He had arrived about a day before they had attacked, with Blink and Hercules.

"Alright, guys. We're in the sewers." Buffy said. She looked over at Joyce. The girl had the Witchblade out, and was ready for action. "Let's do it." Joyce grinned as they approached a rather heavily defended steel door. Several guard walked towards them.

"Hey, your…" One of them looked at Joyce. "Oh shit!" Joyce grinned, recognising the Weapon X soldier from the forests in Canada, just before she'd met her mother.

"Well, looky here." She said, walking up to him. "You got a flare for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, sparky." The man shook a bit. "Remember what I said back in Canada."

"You said if I chased you again." He whined. "I wasn't chasing you, I promise. I was just guarding."

"What does Weapon X have to do with Wolfram & Hart?" Joyce demanded.

"Weapon X?" Buffy stepped forward. "Aren't they the guys that gave Logan his Adamantium and wiped his memories?"

"That's them." Joyce said. "They decided that they wanted the daughter of the original Weapon X as one of their agents. I went to Canada to…persuade them otherwise." Buffy's blood went cold. Those creeps were after her daughter? And they had something to do with Wolfram& Hart?

"You don't have a lot going for you at the moment." She said, and then she noticed his friends, guns ready. "That doesn't help." She said, sending them flying with a wave of her hand. They hit the wall and slumped, unconscious, to the floor. "Now I believe that my daughter asked you a question."

"Your…oh shit!" The poor guard now realised he was definitely in the wrong line of work. "I don't know. All I know is that we were sent here with a couple of Weapon X agents. That's it."

"Who?" Joyce demanded.

"Sabretooth, Wild Child and Mesmero." He said quickly, desperately not wanting to die. Buffy swore. Sabretooth and Wild Child, she could handle. She wasn't sure her mental powers were up to a duel with Mesmero, though.

_"Guys, we have problems. Weapon X is involved. They've sent Saretooth, Wild Child and Mesmero along to beef up security."_

_"Can't you hit 'em with a psychic whammy or something?"_ Faith asked.

_"I might get Sabretooth and Wild Child, but not Mesmero, and he's the dangerous one."_ Buffy sent. _"A master of mental manipulation. Shit, we didn't plan for this."_

_"Maybe we did, and didn't know it."_ Kitty said suddenly. _"Your the only one with mental abilities that's been able to use them to even talk to Angel, why we don't know. All anyone else gets a half signal, and the same for Dru and Spike."_

_"The soul."_ Buffy realized.

_"And you can probably get a proper signal because you're the Slayer." _Xander volunteered. _"Your Slayer sense gives you an avenue that no one else has."_ Buffy couldn't believe how much like Giles he sounded.__

_"Alright, new plan."_ She said. _"Blink, once we find them, send the fang gang to our position so they can deal with Mesmero. Me and Joyce can handle Creed and his Mini Me."_ The original Scoobies chuckled.

"Mini Me?" Joyce asked as they moved to the door.

"They never showed you 'Austin Powers'?" Buffy asked. "You poor deprived child." She looked at the door. "Um, this looks to thick for me to bust through."

"Let me try." Joyce said, bringing the Witchblade to bear.

_"Finally."_ It whispered into her mind. Joyce released it, letting its blade like tentacles rip away at the door; hellfire bolts slamming into the door. Buffy watched, amazed, as the door fell away.

"Holy shit." She muttered. "How come I didn't get that as part of my Slayer deal?" Joyce grinned as the Witchblade drew back to its gauntlet form.

"You're not a Wielder." She said simply. "Besides, you don't want this, trust me. Now, let's finish this."

"Well looky who's finally decided ta join the party?" Sabretooth said as the two Slayers walked in.

"Creed." Buffy said, careful not to look Mesmero in the eye. _"Now, Blink." _She looked over at what appeared to be a gremlin. "And you must be Wild Child. Logan never said you looked like a gremlin." He snarled at her.

"I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart, girl." He growled. "Maybe I'll even play with your daughter after Mesmero's done with her, and let you watch."

"You have been takin' too many lessons off big an' hairy, mate." A cockney voice said from behind them. "Maybe you should check the score." They turned to see three, rather annoyed, souled vampires. "Looks like your outnumber."

"Let's see if we can't alter that shall we." Mesmero said, moving over to Dru. "Vampire or not, I'll have some fun with you, beautiful." Dru blinked as he applied his power. Or at least, he tried.

"Little pointer." She said. "Make sure you know you can affect your victim before trying to enthral them, or else you could end up in a situation like this." She brought a hand up and crooked her finger. Mesmero trundled to her side and lay down like an obedient dog. Drusilla ruffled his hair. "You're not the only one who can hypnotise people, pet." She grinned a slightly insane smile. Not quite sane, Buffy remembered, but damn near close. "So, who's next?" Sabretooth merely grinned.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for someone to do that, doll face." He grinned. Dru glared at him, Spike seethed, and Angel, well…

"That's my Child you're talking to, hairy." He growled protectively, bringing his game face to bear. "There are two people in the world who can call her 'doll face'. I'm one of them, and you sure as hell are not the other one." Buffy shivered.

"Channelling Angelus much?" She said flippantly. Angel grinned, showing his fangs.

"No one messes with my family." He said. "You go deal with Belasco. We'll deal with these freaks. Just remember to leave some for Kitty and Faith. They'd be sore if you took it all for yourself."

"I'll be sure to leave them some morsels." Buffy said.

"Bite size." Joyce added. "Pre chewed."

"Ah, Ms Summers." Belasco said as Joyce and Buffy walked in. "How nice to see you again. I'm impressed you got this far." He turned from the window he was looking out of. "You seem none the worse for wear. What happened to Weapon X?" There was a crash of breaking glass from below. "Never mind, I think I can guess. I must admit you have proven more resourceful than I anticipated. Very impressive."

"Save it, red." Buffy spat. "I don't seek your approval. What are you up to?"

"Dear girl, isn't it obvious?" Belasco said, flashing a grin. "What I've always 'been up to'. The conquest of this planet, and Shadowcat's presence by my side, both in ruling, and in my bed. Any small victory you may achieve this day will be hollow and meaningless. Soon, she will be mine, this world will be mine, and you will be as dead as your lover." That was all Buffy could stand. The Phoenix flamed about her as she drew her sword, and she began to float above the floor.

"The only one dieing today, Belasco, will be you." Belasco hid a smile as she charged. Excellent, he thought. Soon, all of it would be his.

"Something's not right." Kitty muttered, seeing the flames above.

"Got that right. Something stinks." Faith agreed. There was a chilling familiarity about this, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"You sure it's not him?" Jubilee pointed at Sabretooth, who was just starting to get to his feet. Faith shook her head.

"I don't think so." She said. "But this seems so…Shit!" She exploded suddenly. "He's trying the same trick he tried with me!" She grabbed Kitty, and launched into the air, a trail of golden light streaking behind her.

"Damn, girl. Some warning next time." Kitty screamed as they headed up, until they reached their destination. Kitty phased them both through the window.

"Just in time." Faith muttered. Joyce was trying to get her mother's attention, but was failing miserably. "Buffy, calm down!" Buffy looked at her momentarily.

"He has to pay." She said. "He has to pay for what he's done." Kitty looked over at Belasco.

"Look at that smug bastard." She muttered, and then said louder, "Look at him, Buffy! He's up to something!" Buffy paid no attention to her. "Damn it all, Slayer! Snap out of it and use your head! Your playing right into his hands, didn't Logan teach you anything?" Buffy's eyes widened and the flames disappeared. She lowered herself to the floor and looked over at Kitty.

"Thanks, kid." She said. The tone of her voice took her aback slightly, because it sounded like a female Logan. "I needed that." Buffy looked over at Faith, who was still radiating golden energy. "That still impresses the hell out of me." Faith smiled.

"Thought we'd lost you for a sec there, B." She said. Buffy grinned.

"So'd I." She admitted, and then looked over at her daughter. "You okay?" Joyce nodded.

"Got dad's healing factor, remember?" Joyce said. She was shaken by what had happened, Buffy could feel it.

"It's alright." She told her. "I promised you I'd fix this, remember?" Joyce nodded. Buffy turned her attention to Belasco. "So that's what you're up to. Not just Kitty, but me as well. You just had to have a Slayer on side, and if you can't have Faith, then I'll do just as well, that it? Did you try for my daughter too?" Belasco merely grinned.

"Very good." The words literally dripped off his tongue. "You just continue to impress me." Buffy brought her sword up.

"That is going to be the death of you." She said. Joyce formed up on her left, forming the Witchblade into a sword of her own. Kitty summoned the Shadowsword and formed on her right. "What's that old saying, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'?" Buffy smiled, but it looked more like she was baring her teeth. "You've got four women right royally pissed with you. That's gonna hurt."

"Funny." Belasco hissed. "I only count three."

"You forget about me, butt ugly?" Faith said, appearing behind him and knocking him to the floor. "That makes four. You gotta brush up on your maths."

"That's not very fair on him." Joyce stated. "After all, he probably never got past kindergarten." Belasco charged with a roar.

_"Protect."_ The Witchblade's voice echoed through Joyce's mind, as diamond sharp tentacles lashed out at the Demon Lord, slicing into his flesh.

"You'll pay for that." He hissed, before being engulfed in hellfire.

"I'm sure." Joyce muttered, pouring it on. Buffy stood beside her, letting rip with the Phoenix Force. Belasco fell backwards, breathing heavily. Buffy flew forward, sword swinging. Belasco went to put a shield up, only to loose his arm.

"Bitch!" He snapped, releasing a spell with his other arm. Buffy flipped out of the way as Faith moved in with a haymaker. Belasco slid across the room, his head spinning. He shook his head and looked at Kitty. "If I can't have you, no one can!" He yelled, releasing a spell to destroy her. Before it hit though, Kitty did the unbelievable.

She disappeared.

"What the…?" Faith looked around. No way, Kitty can't move that fast. Belasco was confused as well, until a very familiar circle of light appeared behind him. However, Magick was nowhere to be found.

"Didn't know it could do that." Kitty muttered, looking at her sword. She looked at Belasco, who was looking back, thoroughly shocked. She grinned. "Well looky here. Butt head on ice." She charged, taking his other arm as he tried to stop her.

"Check it out." Buffy said in a fake English accent. "E's 'armless."

"I don't believe you just said that." Faith groaned. Buffy giggled.

"_I_ don't believe I just said that." She admitted.

"Um, guys." Joyce said. "Can we concentrate on horn head now, and my mother's bad puns later?"

"There will be no later for you!" Belasco spat.

"Just keep talking, Ampy!" Kitty yelled as her sword cleaved through his neck. The four femme-fatales watched as it rolled across the floor.

"Ampy?" Joyce said warily. Kitty shrugged.

"Yeah. As in 'amputee'." She explained. The others groaned.

"That was worse than yours, B." Faith said.

"I thought that was impossible." Buffy chuckled. "You been hanging with Spider-Man since I went missing?" Kitty shrugged.

"It was all I could think of." She said defensively as Angel, Spike and Dru ran up in to the room.

"An' you worried." Spike said to his Grandsire, who moved instantly to Kitty's side. He looked at the now headless Belasco. "Bloody hell. Can't you go through one scrap without leavin' some poor bastard without 'is face?" Kitty shrugged.

"Where he's concerned, its no big loss." She said, cuddling close to Angel. "Its finally over." Buffy looked out the window.

"Not quite."

The group stood on top of the Space Needle, a shadow of its former glory, much like the world.

"This is it." Buffy said. "Belasco's taken care of, but this world still needs you guys. Take care of things." She pulled her blade out and walked over to Joyce. "This is yours." She said, handing it over. Joyce took it reverently.

"Thanks…mom." She said. Buffy smiled.

"Don't sweat it." She said. She looked over at her now huge extended family. "Take care of her."

"You have to ask?" Connor said. Buffy gave each of them a look, her eyes stopping on Faith's young daughter.

"Take care of that mother of yours." She told Elizabeth. "She has a habit of getting in trouble."

"Yes, ma'am." She said. Buffy smiled.

"Well, guess its time for me to go." She said, looking over at Trunks.

"Before you do." Hank said, leading Max and Logan forward. "I think there's something you need to see." He pushed them forward. Max looked over at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked cautiously. The Beast nodded.

"Just keep it clean." He said jokingly. Max nodded and took a breath.

"Finger crossed." She said as Logan leaned forward. The kiss was short and chaste.

"C'mon, ya wanker. Give 'er a decent one." Spike yelled.

"Might as well go out with a smile." Riley said suddenly. Spike smiled over at him.

"'Bout time ya snapped out of it, soldier boy." Spike said. "You've been a total bore since we found ya." Riley looked at him and, calmly, flicked him off.

"It worked." Max whispered. "I mean, your not dieing."

"Let's test that again." Logan muttered, leaning close again. Five minutes later, they disengaged.

"Doc, you're a genius." Buffy said.

"Why thank you, young lady." The doctor said, bowing with a flourish.

"Thanks Buffy." Max said, Logan holding her close. "For everything."

"Don't mention it." The Slayer said. "Just try to keep yours alive."

"No problems with that." Max said with a smile.

"Time to go." Trunks said from next to the Time Capsule. "I can't get you right on. For some reason, the closest I can get is about three years."

"Try and go for a couple of months before Belasco makes his grab for Kitty." Buffy said. "Enough time to get there, but close enough so it's a surprise when I shove my sword down his throat." Faith grinned at her husband.

"Drop her off in LA, at the exact moment she's needed." She suggested. "That'll give him a shock."

"No way." Buffy said. "I want some alone time with Logan before I charge in and save the day. Recharging the batteries." Trunks grinned, setting the Capsules destination.

"Right, we'll land not far from where Belasco nailed you, two months prior to his grab on Kitty." Trunks said. "Keep your head down, and that should be enough." Buffy nodded, climbing in. "It's set to auto return three minutes after arrival, so get clear quickly. Good luck."

"Thanks, Trunks." Buffy looked out at her friends – no, her _family_ – one more time. I'll see you soon guys, she thought as the cockpit closed, and I will fix this. I promise.

The group watched as the Capsule took off. "Good luck, mom." Joyce said, holding the sword close. "I love you."

Cop that, Belasco! He gets a head shorter, and Max has a heck of a lot of back up, but don't bet its over, 'cause Buffy's on her way back. So what's next? Well, a short (hopefully) fic detailing Buffy's race to fix things, followed by the true last battle; Kitty, Angel and there team of Immortals versus Belasco. The Battle of the century, or Earth's Last Stand? Only one way to find out.

Stay tuned.

Doc.


End file.
